Mixed Year

While looking back over 2015 and the events that highlighted the year, it was a very mixed year.

I started the year working at Sam's Club which was a good experience for me. During the time I worked there, we were involved in building a house that slowly became a clear indication of a mistake in progress. As we watched the home being built, we became increasingly concerned that it was: too expensive, too inadequate for our needs and a real cash hog. We ended that project and began looking for a better fit for us.

We located a much better home for our needs and moved into our new home in June. Shortly thereafter, I developed  some health issues that resulted in my resigning from Sam's Club and having a couple short stays in the hospital to have my gall bladder removed and to have an aneurysm repaired. That was not a pleasant experience.

Our new home is a very good choice for our goals to provide a nice place for family to visit and for a long term investment. We did have family visit us during the late summer - Kristine  and Justin - and we had friends visit from our workamping and traveling experiences (Rodger and Sue Sandlin).

Of course, there were many more experiences during the year that is winding down today. One of those was a spin at driving for UBER that recently ended when I traded my vehicle for another King Ranch truck so that we could once again begin the use of our fifth wheel which has been sitting in storage since we moved into our home. With our plans to return to Jackson, WY, this summer, it was a necessary move. As the plans to return to Jackson this next summer involve decisions on the house, we are planning some changes that keep our investment here while also taking advantage of our regained mobility with the truck. Those changes will be discussed very soon as they are a subject that requires a lengthy explanation.

The weather basically "sucks". We went from the oven to the freezer without a transition and we haven't enjoyed any of the winter so far. The new year has to be better from a weather standpoint. We have had 6 days in December where the lows have been below freezing and there are more in the forecast. Arizona is suppose to have mild winters with highs in the 60's and 70's - where are they? We had one day in December (10th) where we reached 70 degrees. I'm sure it will improve as the dreaded El Nino slowly disappears.

Even though we had mixed experiences for 2015, we are thankful that we are healthy and happy as we approach 2016. We hope that you are all healthy and happy as well, going into the new year...

HAPPY NEW YEAR  !!!

Year End Stuff

Of course, right now the main objective is to be ready for the new year. That means gathering all the 2015 paperwork and files to prepare the taxes and to make sure all the new "books", charts and planners are ready for the new year. I have everything ready to go now with the exception of a couple charts that need to be done for 2016.

It's unfortunate that the combination of Josie's work schedule and our appointment schedules have precluded taking any trips over the holidays. Today is a good example. Josie has the day off but she has an appointment scheduled with the Dermatologist to check on her problem thumb and I have an appointment at the Ford dealership to have the bedliner replaced with a sprayed-in liner which is much more permanent and rugged. I get a trade-in on the plastic liner that is in the truck now, but nowhere near what the sprayed-in liner will run. Once the liner is dried and cured, I get the hitch installed which is scheduled for Monday of next week.

By the time all of the work is completed on the truck next week, I will be ready to take the fifth wheel into Robert Crist RV in Mesa to have the repairs done. I'm hoping that everything goes smoothly, but I'm sure there will be some glitches along the way. I do feel comfortable taking the RV into the facility where it was purchased over 8 years ago.

Get ready for the New Year's celebration which is only two days away. Part of that New Year's celebration is a schedule of terrific football games. Yeah!!...

New Washer

Our home warranty came through for us yesterday when our replacement washer was delivered. Once again, I am thankful for this warranty as it has paid for itself several times over with the replacement of our A/C unit and our washer. This warranty was purchased by our realtor and the previous owner as part of the sale when we closed on our house. This is something that should - and will - become a must item in any sale of a used home.

The insurance company for our fifth wheel also came through yesterday when they informed us that they were cutting checks to take care of the repairs to our fifth wheel resulting from the two tire blowouts we had in May 2012. Believe it or not, the damages to the body of the fifth wheel are close to $10K. The amazing thing about this whole transaction is that we changed insurance companies about three months following this experience in 2012 and the insurance company had no choice but to cover the damage as I had proof of the whole situation from photos and descriptions from my blog.

I have appointments scheduled for the new truck to have a new bedliner sprayed in tomorrow and a fifth wheel hitch and electric brake controller installation early next week. Following that work, I plan to take the fifth wheel to Robert Crist RV in Mesa where we originally purchased our fifth wheel. That should be the best location for performing all the repairs.

The next couple weeks look to be very busy, and very important, to preparing for our anticipated very busy 2016...

Cardinals are Ready

The Arizona Cardinals played a near perfect game yesterday, beating the Green Bay Packers 38-8. They are peaking at the right time as there is only one more regular season game left before the start of playoffs.

The Seahawks, on the other hand, had a wake-up call yesterday, losing - again - to the St Louis Rams, 23-17. It was the first time since Russell Wilson became the starting quarterback for the Seahawks in 2012 that they didn't have the lead at any point in the game. For some reason, they just don't match up well against the Rams. They are in the playoffs anyway, but they have a tough road to hoe having to play each week during the playoffs and all games will be away games. It should be interesting. Before the playoffs begin, the two teams meet next week- Cards and Seahawks - in the final game of the season. It doesn't really matter that much for either team so the intensity won't be there.

The Christmas holiday is ended now and we get to celebrate the New Year next. We expect to get a lot of plans completed this week for the new year. Starting with scheduling the warranty work and repairs on our fifth wheel, hang on for some surprising changes that will reshape our plans and goals for the near future...

Bowl Frenzy

The college football scene has expanded to 40 bowl games this year. That's a lot. It makes for plenty of options on TV even though many of the games are between schools we never heard about in the past. I watched a couple of those games yesterday while Josie was at work and the best one was between Miami (FL) and Washington State. It was a very good game that WSU won, 20-14, and was played in the Sun Bowl in El Paso TX - in a driving snow storm through part of the game. The weather is crazy all over the country this winter.

The next event is, of course, New Year's. We still are thinking of going somewhere for a short trip over the holiday - maybe Laughlin and spend a little time in our favorite casinos. Both of us are antsy to go away and have a change of scenery for a couple days. If we can scrounge up a few bucks, it would be a welcomed trip.

With the weird weather this year, we are hoping for some warm temperatures. It has been mostly in the 50's every day and it is time to warm up into the high 60's and 70's. I keep looking at the daily temperatures in Jackson, WY, and they are in the teens for highs, and minus temperatures for the lows. I guess it could be a lot worse here...

Wonderful Christmas

Only 365 more days to Christmas.

It was a wonderful Christmas made even better with the Bowl win in the Bahamas. We understand that Austin got all kinds of goodies from the game, including a ring that will be made for him. What a great experience. Next year will be his senior year and we sure would like to see him finish his WMU football career with another bowl win. The team just keeps getting better, so there is a good chance for that to happen.

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning and went for a drive in the afternoon. We put a few miles on the new truck and just enjoyed the day. Josie goes back to work today for just the one day today before having tomorrow off. She will be working another unusual schedule this week as we approach New Year's.

Pretty soon we will kiss 2015 goodbye and enter a new - and even more exciting - 2016. At least we expect it to be exciting. We have surprising plans for 2016 which will be revealed after the first of the year and as we finalize our schedule...

WMU Historical Win

What an exciting game yesterday. Austin's WMU team made history for the University by winning their first ever Bowl game, beating Middle Tennessee University in the Bahamas Bowl 45-31. Austin played a terrific game as did the rest of the team to complete a season that gave them their second consecutive 8-win record. In a year where they played the number 1 and number 2 ranked teams in the country (at the time), Ohio State and Michigan State, the team is getting more and more notoriety. It's hard to imagine what they can do next year which will be Austin's Senior year.

As an aside, I realized yesterday that I had been to the same hotel in Nassau where the team stayed for the Bowl activities. In 1983, I went there - Paradise Island -  and stayed as part of the Go-Club trip that I won when I was with Sperry Univac. I'm sure it has changed a lot, but I recognized the hotel from the TV shots and I got out my Go-Club book and looked at all the pictures from my trip.

We made a trip to the new casino in our neighborhood last night after Josie got off work and the jury is out. The Desert Diamond Casino and Resort will eventually be a real showplace - probably in about two years when it is completed:

We didn't fare very well in our first attempt, but it has been awhile since we played any slots so we are a bit rusty.

Our tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve continued last night as Josie received this nice pair of pajama bottoms:

She is officially a Seahawks fan.

It is early on Christmas morning and it is a sleep-in day for us. Santa stopped here, but it will be a little while before we get around to opening our gifts. Enjoy your Christmas Day everybody...